It's Valentine's Day, let's talk chocolate!

Not too far from here, is the CIA just short of 30 miles.
I recently found out that they offer classes. Look what I found ...
chocolate!!!!!

Anyone want to take a class with me? I was thinking in the summer. I would really like to go with someone. My mother is so excited she wants to do it next month, but Daisy is still getting most her nutrients by nursing, I wouldn't be able to leave her. So just putting it out there...just one more reason to come visit me up here :D

PERFECT Oatmeal Cookies

I've earned a reputation at the girls' school. After having the cookies the girls bought in for their birthday, the teachers ask me to do the baking for all class parties. I can understand why, I've tried some of the other mother's cookies and there is no comparison. Not to mention, I've inherited my mother's baking skills! Even the bakeries up here are nothing to rave about. Oooh, just got an idea, Mom and I should open one! We'd be so successful!!![dreaming]

El's been bugging me to make oatmeal raisin cookies. Really?? Of ALL the cookies out there, he wants those? I like to show of my skills and bake things like this, this, and this because I don't have time to bake! If I'm forced to, I want to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labors! I have to bake what I like. Oatmeal Raisins are boring. The same with Chocolate Chip. Oatmeal cookies need peanut butter and chocolate chunks, not raisins. But, I eventually had to give in. It occurred to me that they're getting so much junk at the party, I might as well provide a "healthy" cookie. So, I made some oatmeal cookies. They were just like I thought they would be ... boring. But even more disappointing was how crispy they were. Now, there are a lot of things that come to mind when I think of oatmeal raisins and crispy is not one of them!

So I set out to find the perfect recipe and here it is, just in time for Valentine's Day. They are plump, chewy and oh-sooo good! There's only one problem ... we ate too many! Now I have to bake more for the parties on Monday.

1 cup butter, softened
1 and 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 and 1/2 cup raisins (or cherries, which is what I used)
1 cup walnuts, chopped (Abby has an allergy in her class so I left them out)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes, taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

There you have it! Enjoy :)

What do you get when ...

you blend ...

1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup bluberries
1 cup strawberries
6 ounces spinach
5 Mejdool Dates~pitted
1 Tbsp ground flax
2 Tbsp coco powder

???

GREAT MUSTACHES!!






and a great breakfast smoothie.

Meet the Grammar Police

"Kaity, would you hand me the diaper cream?"

She couldn't find it...laying right there in front of her and I was having as much trouble trying to describe it. The word I was looking for was container.

"It's right there. The tube, no it's not a tube, the box, bowl ... the THING right there in front of you, by your feet."

Apani pipes in, "Mommy, that's a cylinder!"

She's always correcting me...

"It's not a dress, it's a skirt.
This is not a dress, it's a jumper.
It is not a brush, it's a comb.
That's a hairCLIP!
That's not Maddy, it's Isabella!
I'm not Kaity!"

...And you get the point.

It really aggravates me, I'm thinking to myself "You're only 4, well 5 now, stop correcting me!!" But sometimes, like this morning, it's pretty funny.

"Yes, Abby, you're right. It is a cylinder. Good job!"

Note to self

2 cups of breadcrumbs is too much!

We can read

So, who are YOU, again?

I still look at her and think, "Who are you?" Please tell me you struggled to know your child by name for a few ... maybe not 7 months, but at least a few weeks ... right?? Maybe because everyone has a dif name for her?? Bella, Izzy, Isabella, Daisy Doodle, Oopsy Daisy, Dotty (really, Grandpa??) Isabutton and ELla ... for obvious reasons. Most often, though, El and I are calling her Maddy. Whoever she is, she sure is a cutie and tough as she is, we love her madly.

She's growing too fast. She started saying No and is so proud of herself. Sometimes when I try to nurse her or when I'm empty, she'll tell me no. The silly little thing thinks she can communicate.



When she's in the mood, she allows me to put her on the floor and has a blast. She loves to play and gets around rather well. If I were to make a prediction, she'll may skip crawling like Abby and will walk before she's one.



We started solids this month...kinda. She doesn't really care for pureed foods, she's just not sure what to do with it. When it reaches the her throat, she gags. But she loves gnawing on things like celery stalks, apple cores, and anise.

Sadly, it's too easy to forget these tender moments of infancy. The only things I remember about Kaity, Abby, and Maddy are those recorded on video. My memories are flooded by days filled with chaos and I'm still existing on barely any sleep. Not to mention all the brain cells that were STOLEN as each baby sled through the birth canal. Things just aren't in my favor for keeping these memories fresh.

So here are some things I need to remember:

How precious and sweet she is. I LOVE when I'm holding her facing outward and she presses her head back against my chest. She lifts her tiny hand, presses her palm against my cheek, and cuddles her head into my neck.
She hugs everyone. Really. She gets so excited when she sees her sisters and stretches out her arms. When they get close, she pulls them in and doesn't let go. She has so much love for them.

She's sleeping on my lap as I type this. I glanced over at her. She's so peaceful, sleeping with her mouth ajar and her crazy hair. I couldn't help but laugh. In so doing, she smiled and it kept getting bigger. Oh how I adore my sweet, sweet child!

Here's another princess I absolutely adore. She just stole the show while I was trying to get Daisy to say, "No".